Pipe wrench having a fixed jaw and a cooperating reciprocating rotary jaw



INVENTOR Marion H. Clark ATTORNEYS M. A. CLARK PIPE WRENCH HAVING AFIXED JAW AND A Filed June 6, 1945 COOPERATING RECIPROCA'I'ING ROTARYJAW Aug. 3, 1948.

Patented Aug. 3 1943 ence wetsetissvme A min; J'Aw Aivbln ,COOPERATING..RECIPROQATIN ROTARY MariljnALClarh, infla e Application runes, 1945, Sen No. 597,797

This invention is directed to, ject to provide, an improved pipe wrench.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pipe wrenchwhich is easily and quickly manually adjustable for initial, engagementwith remiss. (Cl. 51-1-96),

and is an obdifferent sizes of pipe, the wrench, when. engaged with apipe, thereafter being self -adjusting to the latter.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pipe wrench whichincludes a fixed, toothed jaw and a rotary, toothed jaw mounted inspaced, but

cooperating relation to the fixed jaw; the rotary jaw being movablerelative to the fixed jaw and spring urged toward the latter. i C

An additional object of this invention is to incorporate, in a pipewrench as in the preced ing paragraph, means to mechanically and forcefully advance the toothed rotary jaw toward the toothed, fixed jaw uponrelative rotation of said rotary jaw resultant from movement of thewrench body about a pipe and biting of the toothed rotary jaw into saidpipe. In this manner an effective, positive, and non-slipping engagementbetween the wrench and a pipe is accomplished.

It is also 'an object to provide a pipe wrench, as above, wherein themechanical advancing means for the toothed rotary jaw, comprises a novelrack and pinion arrangement between said jaw and the body of the wrench.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposefor which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the wrench in use.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side elevation, partly broken away,illustrating the adjacent rack and pinion unit.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevation as viewed from the left of Fi 2.

Figure 4 is a cross section on line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings the wrench comprises a rigid, elongated body I formed at itsrear end with a diagonal hand grip 2; said body including spaced apartside plates 3 connected together by suitable means, including cross pins4.

i 2 1 Atthe forwardiend the body: is. formed with a laterally projectingfixed-jaw 5 which faces rearwardly and includes inwardly facing teeth.6; this jaw being an initiallylsseparate member secured betweenlateral-extensionsof the side plates 3 as ShOWn. i-

r A circular, rotary jaw l is disposed rearwardly of the fixed jaw 5mcooperating relation to the latter; said rotary jaw being disposed in,part inthe channel between the side plates 3,..and movable to and fromsaid fixed jaw-3. The rotary jaw is rtoothedras at 9, with the teeth onthe Such rotary jaw 1 is mounted and actuated as follows:

The rotary jaw 1 is formed with a hub I0 which includes, at oppositeends, laterally outwardly extending pinions II which ride on top of andin mesh with corresponding racks l2 on the adjacent edges of the sideplates 3. Escape of the pinions II from the racks I2 is prevented bymeans of overhanging flanges l3 formed on end plates l4 secured to thesides of the body I outwardly of said pinions.

Inwardly of the pinions I I the hub is engaged, on opposite sides of therotary law I, by tumably mounted rings l5 which are formed on theforward ends of the legs l6 of a rearwardly extending yoke I1; said yokebeing slidably arranged in connection with the body I by means of ahold-down saddle I8. At its rear end the yoke I1 is formed with alaterally projecting trigger H! which extends in substantially the samedirection as the diagonal hand grip 2 but ahead of the latter. A tensionspring 20 is connected between the rear end of the yoke and theholdbeing, formed in opposition down saddle l8, and such spring tends tourge the yoke, and consequently the rotary jaw 1, in a direction towardthe fixed jaw 5.

In use of the above described wrench, the grip is hand engaged and thetrigger then pulledrear- 'wardly by one finger. When the trigger ispulled rearwardly it causes corresponding movement of the yoke l1 androtary jaw I, separating the latter from the fixed jaw 5 for entry ofthe pipe clockwise direction. With such rotation of the jaw 1 theassembly of racks and pinions II and i2 urges said jaw in the directionof the fixed jaw, whereby the pipe is positively and effectively clampedtherebetween. In other words, the rotation of the turning movement ofthe body I about the pWQl'k in a-clockwisedi-rection is converted by therack and pinion assembly into approaching movement of the rotary jaw 1toward the fixed jaw 5.

'Io release the wrench from the work it is only necessary that thetrigger 19 be retracted.

From the foregoing description it wlll'be readily seen that there hasbeen produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention as set forth herein. 1

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to as donot form a departure from the spirit oftheinvention, as defined by the appended claims.l l t Having thusdescribed theinvention the following is claimed as new and useful andupon which Letters Patent is desired: 1. A pipe wrench'comprising anelongated body includingspaced apart side plates, a fixed Jaw projectinglaterally from the body, gear racks formed along the outer edges of theside plates inspaced relation tosaid fixed jaw, a rotary jaw including ahub, spaced pinions on the hub engaging the racks, plates fixed to theside plates of the body and enclosing the hub, inturned flanges on theouter edges of the fixed plates enclosing the pinions to hold them inmesh with the racks, and manually operable means to move the hub androtary jaw back and forth between the fixed plates while allowingrotation of such hub and rotary jaw.

, 2. Astructure as in claim 1 in which the last named means includes aring surrounding the hub, and a pull element fixed to the ring andmounted for reciprocating movement relative to the elongated body.

3. A structure as in claim 2 including a fixed guide on the body whichsupports the pull element and through which the latter reciprocates.

4. A structure as in claim 3 including a trigger onthe free end of thepull element for operating the same in one direction and a springinterposed between the free end of the element and the guide for pullingthe element in the opposite direction. V

MARION A. CLAREL;

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordin the

